My Dad is in end stage dementia. Do we need guardianship to put him in home?

He doesn't want to go.. Brother has POA and 2 letters from doc. Dad lives on 40 acres in a mouse infested home. hasn't showered in months or changed his clothes, toenails growing around his toes and refuses to take his boots off when he sleeps as he is paranoid of those out to ":get him". It is time he moves to a home. He has taken to calling 911 for no apparent reason. Almost got hit by a logging truck last week. Chopped his front door down with a hatchet the other day..My brother has DPOA and MPOA and we have two letters from doctors saying he is not fit to care for himself anymore and is a danger to himself. Do we also need a guardianship? We cannot afford thousands of dollars. What are the ramifications for letting the state have guardianship? We have medicaid and long term care ready to go..

Answers

was it his hatchet and his front door ? i have strong feelings about younger people telling older people whats best for them . " crazy " isnt a crime unless youre endangering someone else . why isnt a family member fixing his toenails ? ingrown nails are enough to send a person off the deep end . if my sons wont help me when i get old and blasphemous , the least they could do is stay the hell offa my hill and keep their opinions to themselves . i built it , ill burn it down if i want to . thats what im getting at .

If the POAs are in place and your father has been deemed incompetent, then maybe you can commit him against his will. Is there a way you can get him to an emergency room? Or maybe call the police when he hatchets his door? It seems like a good time to work with the government agencies to get your father into a safe place. Read about the Baker Act for your state and see if you think it applies and will help.

Can't afford thousands of dollars is not necessarily "indigent." Check into pro bono, talk to adult protective services; his activities are verging on things he could go to jail for. If Dad has any assets, given your POA you could legitimately use them for his legal fees. Sorry this is happening to you and hope you have a quick route to a good geriatric/geropsych eval ASAP!

Andrea, the court will not appoint anyone who is broke, has bad credit or a bad driving record or criminal history no matter how slight. "Indigent" means poor, too poor to hire a lawyer and go to court.

Don't worry, at the rate he is going the state will soon take him into protective custody. That is probably the best thing for him since no court will appoint indigent relatives as Guardians. I hope for his sake he just dies in his sleep.

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